F- Toffee, caramel, hint of raisin, a little banana (hence banana bread in the nose), earthiness, and the signature GLBC yeast flavour. This is excellent, not quite perfect but just about as outstanding as any brewer can make a Vienna lager. [4.25]

M- Medium bodied, refreshing and crisp yet smooth and silky at the same time. They did a great job on this one. Very drinkable, no real effects of the ABV on the flavour at all. [4.25]

O- Excellent take on the style, as I would expect from GLBC and their tradition of brewing excellent lagers. Why I never reviewed this before, I'm not sure, but I ought to get around to reviewing their other offerings as well! [4.25] (1,018 characters)

Looks beautiful with a deep amber body and tan head. No suspended yeast or floaties makes for a very polished look. Scent is in the background, nothing pronounced other than a malt blend. Taste begins with mostly malts, then gives way to hops. Notes of red apple were also present. Mouthfeel is soapy and carbonated with significant, and a surprising amount of alcohol warmth for a 6.2% ABV lager. Overall, a solid anytime beer. Great first impression with Great Lakes! (469 characters)

Overall: This is the way lagers should taste. The macro-brews obviously have nothing on this. I was very impressed with it overall, and the fact that it was on draught made me a very happy man. I would definitely get this again (and probably will). (766 characters)

Appearance- Pours a rich ruby-amber hue with a frothy 2 finger or more head with good retention.

Smell- A sweet malt smell, bits of caramel and toffee in there.

Taste- At first there is much more a grainy flavor than the smell suggests. This transcends into a sweeter finish, with the toffee flavor coming through later. Slight roasted type of qulaity to the taste as well. Some hop bitterness in there ever so slightly. Dry finish.

Mouthfeel- Medium in body; ample carbonation.

Overall- A unique and memorable lager. This is a good one to sip on as it is not super light but has plently of flavor. Not the everyday lager for sure. A great beer to try to divert oneself from the norm. Another Great Lakes home run. (759 characters)

A: Looks like free-flowing honey on the pour, which swells into a beautiful clear amber. Small streams of bubbles rise slowly from the bottom at the start, before dying away to leave the beer a deep amber shading towards russet. A thick head of foam forms, which slowly dies down to a cap. The lacing is minimal, but present.

S: Sweet toasted malt and caramel, wreathed around bready yeast with some faint notes of rich soil and ripe fruit.

T: Mother of god, this is a fantastic Vienna lager. The taste opens with sweet bread and lightly toasted caramel, before some hints of walnut, raisin, and pecan join in. There's some slight bitterness from the malt, as well as an earthen, loamy bitter that offsets the sweetness just enough. Warm yeasty bread with toffee-like tinges form the finish, which lingers a bit without coming close to overstaying its welcome.

M: A light, smooth, silky lager, with exactly the right amount of carbonation to avoid feeling flat without sparkling up too much. It feels heavy enough to impart a feeling of drinking a good beer, while remaining light enough for refreshment duty.

O: I have yet to encounter another Vienna lager that's comparable to this one. It's virtually everything I could look for in this style, from the complex malt profile to the slight hop presence and the silken mouthfeel. This is a staple of my beer enjoyment. (1,443 characters)

A: Clear, dark reddish amber. One finger of tan head.S: Scent of baking spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, derived from the noble hops. Toasty caramel malt peeks through the nose as well. T: Toasted caramel malt makes its presence first with a sweet, smoky taste. The malts give this a nice body. The hop presence comes out in the end as a tingle of bitterness on the tongue. Finish is neither too sweet nor too dry.M: Medium bodied. Slightly creamy. Very drinkable.O: Very good crisp lager. Reminds me of some of the Marzen beers. (595 characters)

Good malty-spicy beer,smelled like bread rising,went great with pizza nice high alcohol content went well with the spiciness of the pizza.I honestly havent had a bad beer from Great Lakes yet.Best brewery in the midwest,with Kalamazoo(my beloved Bells)not far behind. (267 characters)

In the smell you get a good amount of Carmel sweetness and some spices.

For the taste you get Carmel/toffee sweetness, a good amount of toasted nuts, some subtle earthy hops, spices, and breadiness.

For the mouthfeel it's medium bodied, clean crisp finish with a decent amount of carbonation.

Overall this is a fantastic lager by Great Lakes..this beer definitely doesn't lack on flavor and is one you can drink and not get tired of. I'll definitely be pickin this up more often (539 characters)

As good a Lager as I've ever had. It's a dark copper color with a eggshell head. Smells lightly of toast and a light hop bite. Taste is very satisfying. The feel is fine, if a tad thin. Great Lakes have pulled off a great one here, this goes into the summer rotation. (272 characters)

Appearance: A dark amber, clear with solid head. Great looking lager.Smell: Very clean, sweet smell. I get a hint of toffee. Taste: You get the sweetness at first like caramel or toffee. Then you get hit with a nutty flavor. Solid taste.Feel: Very warm yet light, could definitely have a few of theseOverall: A fantastic beer, looking to find more by this brewing company. (376 characters)

The beer pours a nice creamy head that takes a long while to dissipate and covers the surface pretty thoroughly. The beer itself a clear and very deep amber. I really like the hue on this beer because of the way the beer really glows.

The beer smell is what you would expect from a Vienna Lager. Sweet caramel notes and a nice bready malt smell with a sharp hop bite to it. The smell isn't complex but don't be fooled by its simplicity. The smell is very well done and very pleasing.

The beer taste is the same as the smell. The beer has a strong sweet bready malt note with a slight hop bite to it. The hop is a bit stronger than the smell but the sweet malt finish fixes that.

The mouthfeel is pretty good. The beer is a bit sticky and has some weight despite being medium bodied. The biting carbonation gives a nice feel to the upper mouth parts.

Overall, a very good beer and one worth getting. The craftsmanship is superb and its reputation is rightly deserved. (971 characters)

²nd outing with Great Lakes and I'm still impressed. This one pours out a dark reddish-brown that tells me it has potential to slake my thirst. Full bodied but not as rich as a stout it's light enough I could drink it year round but not over powering. This could earn a permanent place in my fridge. (301 characters)

*transferred from previous notes - 1/2/2014*12oz bottle poured into an English Tulip pint glass. Buttery caramel, and fruit are the first aromatic impressions that struck me - a faint berry and/or orange citrus aroma. This gives way to a slight dampness / mildewy smell as the head recedes, but the buttery notes are present and eventually turn to a baked cookie smell. There’s also a faint roasted grain in there too. The head is a creamy, slightly yellow/brown shade, a hearty amount of which remains throughout the drink, and it leaves an abundant lacing along the glass. The head sits atop a very clear orange-brown ("deep amber" I suppose) beer. It’s mostly a sweet beer, but a mellow sweet at that.. It has some spiciness to it too - root beer comes to mind as there’s maybe anise or sarsaparilla notes to it, as well as perhaps some molasses? There’s some light roasted bitterness with an ever so slight hoppy kick too, but the hops only appear at the finish. It’s a astringent too. It’s a medium bodied beer with a decent amount of carbonation to it - although it goes down smooth. There’s a roasted flavor that sticks around shortly, but it’s a mostly clean finish. The hops also contribute a slight grassy coating of the mouth, but, again, it doesn’t stick around long. As it warms up, the root beer flavoring disappears and is replaced by maple syrup and butter (pancakes came to mind) with some slight burnt toast hints. (1,451 characters)

By far the most complex Vienna-style I've ever encountered. Points for uniqueness. Heavy biscuit on the front leads to a surprising floral-esque finish. Quite boozy for the style at 6.2% ABV - and it can be felt as the beer is much heavier than say Boston Lager. As far as this style goes, I wish this one was lightened up a little bit. All in all it is a fantastic unique beer. Cheers! (386 characters)

Appearance: Spot on Amber Lager look. Pours a beautiful amber red color with a fingers worth of light beige head

Smell: Sweet (caramel, toffee) and bready malts that balance great with the noble hops

Taste: Sweet bready malts upfront with hops on the finish

Mouthfeel: Pretty full bodied for a lager yet goes down amazingly smooth with a slight bitter finish. Very refreshing

Overall: Iv said it before and ill say it again. Great Lakes makes some of the best lagers i have had from this country. I think a lot craft beer enthusiasts get lost in the double and imperial beers and cant appreciate a well crafted lager. For what this is, its pretty amazing and the benchmark for an amber lager in my opinion. Great balance between malts and hops, yet light enough so you know its a lager. Along with Dortmunder Gold, this is my go to lawn mowing, bbq lager of choice. That's all folks (887 characters)

Pours a solid amber color with mild clarity, a touch of haze in the middle of the glass. Light beige head that doesn't last too long and doesn't leave much lacing either. Crisp aroma, almost with some fruit tartness initially; light berries and apple skins. Lightly toasted caramel grains abound in this one, with a slightly floral underbody. The first sip follows through with the crispiness of the aroma, headed by an array of toasted grains and malts, light caramel and toffee flavors. Some mild apples and raisin fruitiness comes through and sweetens things up just a bit. Slight hoppy taste in the background, a tiny floral essence, but they never get very bitter, maybe only a touch to balance the malt sweetness. Tasty biscuit-like yeast in the finish; thin body, medium-high carbonation, with a crispy, clean, refreshing finish.

Wow, this beer really surprised me, although I shouldn't be surprised - I've been very happy with most of GL's brews. Nice mix of hops and malts, not too overpowering on either. Great, crisp finish all around, and certainly one of the best lagers to cross my palate in some time. (1,117 characters)

Vienna style lagers are a great style of beer - a little sweeter than your average ale, but still completely drinkable and full of flavor. Elliot Ness is the best that I've had in the style: sweeter malts are used, but absolutely no sugar rush and still a solid bite of hops. Smell, carbonation and appearance are attractive and spot on. What really sets this beer apart though is its balance and drinkability. There are too many good craft beers that are good, but become unattractive or even undrinkable after 2 or 3. However with Elliot Ness you could happily drink it all night long.

Price is very reasonable as well. If you haven't tried the style and happen across a sixer or even a case I highly recommend giving it a try. (730 characters)